The Oldmasters Museum (French: Musée Oldmasters, Dutch: Oldmasters Museum) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to European painters from the 15th to the 18th centuries. It is one of the constituent museums of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The museum was founded in 1801 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It was originally named the Musée royal d'art ancien ("Royal Museum of Ancient Art").
The museum's collection includes works by several Early Netherlandish painters, including Hieronymus Bosch, Dirk Bouts, Petrus Christus, Lucas Cranach, Gerard David, Hans Memling, and Rogier van der Weyden. Other painters represented in the collection include Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Philippe de Champaigne, Anthony van Dyck, Jacques Jordaens, Jusepe de Ribera, Peter Paul Rubens, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Simon Vouet.
Monday | Closed |
Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Friday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
Sunday | 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
V Costa | Feb 16, 2018
Large collection of art, with exhibitions spanning 8 floors. If you into it than you'll have a great time, otherwise it can be boring. It can also be overwhelming and confusing because there isn't really any order to the pieces. The old masters museum has lots of portraits, which can get old, fast. There were "contemporary" pieces from 1900's, which personally didn't feel very contemporary. There are a few famous pieces like "The Death of Marat". It was €3 with the youth discount so it was worth it.
Virginia J | Oct 15, 2017
Beautiful museum and worth a stop. As others have mentioned, there is a security check on the way in and once you enter any very large bags must be put into a free locker (we were fine with large wristlets and a small purse). The comments about lighting on many of the paintings are also correct, it could use some work. These were minor issues though, and overall the museum complex is charming. The impressionist collection is especially good. Good food in the cafe and they have a lovely terrace where you can sit and eat, although a little expensive (18 euro for a slice of quiche, slice of tart, and a bottle of mineral water for two).
Doug S | Feb 27, 2018
Fantastic art museum, a must see. Very big, plan to spend the day. Nice cafe. Loved the impressionists.
Deanne Victor | Feb 20, 2018
I spent damn near the whole day wandering around here. It was top on my list to do and I wasn't disappointed. All the exhibits are purchased separately which = mucho suckwah but I'm glad I did it. If you're in Brussels it's an absolute must-see attraction.
Oscar garcia | Jan 22, 2018
Food is really good and they are very kind. Prices are good too. A place where to get a good sandwich during your working days.
Olie Navrotska | Mar 31, 2018
Has no one taught these people how to hang paintings? Good luck trying to see any of the paintings properly - the rooms are all dark and the lights right above the paintings cause so much glare that a good part of each painting will be not visible. The staff is also some of the least friendly staff I've ever encountered. The entry is pretty cheap, but you'll know why when you get here. The least enjoyable museum experience I've ever had - utter disappointment!
Lucian Alexe | Mar 9, 2018
Huge collection of art, spread among a couple of buildings and at least 5 floors. The selection takes you from medieval times up to modern years. A dedicated space for the end of the century art lies in the underground levels, but it's worth a visit. As expected, you will find lots of Flemish masters.
Franco Ferraris | Apr 5, 2018
Amazing museum. Great art and ambiance. First Wednesday of every month, the entry is free. Otherwise is €8 for adults
Edgar Here and There | May 21, 2018
Well curated, with interesting use of space and good story telling. The museum contains some engaging works and a good smattering of the famous. Certainly worth a visit. Look out for what temporary exhibitions are on, as these add a bonus, and are often comprehensive. Is staying a couple of days buy a Brussels Card, as this offers a good deal.
Boris Shurygin | Jun 4, 2018
Not a big fan of fine arts myself but this place is about as good as art museums get - you visit it, you get to see pretty cool paintings. Without a good background on arts history I was probably missing some fun few visiting groups of students had there. Again, i'm probably just not cultured enough to properly appreciate all that :) Personally I've liked the Old Masters part the most. Finding an efficient and convenient route through it there might be challenging, however. If planning a visit in advance, consider downloading a pdf with the plan of the exhibition from their website.
Andreea Dutu | Jun 5, 2018
The Bruegel paintings really impressed me, I understand that his works are very rarely put on exhibition due to their high sensitivity. The employees were nice except those at the groundfloor (-7or something, the lowest level)- when the closing time was close, we were rushed and hushed even though I needed an info. Watch out, it's pretty cold in this museum , probably the temperature is set lower than usual for Bruegel paintings.
Edgar Here and There | Jun 22, 2018
Well curated, with interesting use of space and good story telling. The museum contains some engaging works and a good smattering of the famous. Certainly worth a visit. Look out for what temporary exhibitions are on, as these add a bonus, and are often comprehensive. If staying a couple of days buy a Brussels Card, as this offers a good deal.
Ruriko Ito | Jun 18, 2018
Amazing. It has great verity of paintings. Though It took 3h to walk around there, I didn’t feel tired at all. Just enjoyed.
Didier Gheysen | Aug 4, 2018
Lot's of great pieces. Ongoing Magritte expo was very unique. But to me personally, as a kid it used to be one of the great museums to visit in Brussels. Then I don't know when, they redid the inside, and it's not the same. Besides the main hall that is still an impressive room, the rest feels cheap and smaller. I think they tried to rejuvenate, appeal to a new crowd, but with limited budget, and they ended up taking the soul out of the place.
Chris Metcalfe | Aug 19, 2018
We went to the more modern section. Free entry for 18 and under. A good selection of different styles from this period, including sculpture and decorative arts, with a focus on Belgian artists. Some of the pictures are quite disturbing which kept both our eleven year old and 18 year old enthralled for 90 minutes!
Carl Niclas | Jul 25, 2018
The old masters section of this museum is a massive homage to the old Flemish masters. Works by the various Brueghels and by Rubens etc are abundant. It certainly is a must to visit and spend some serious time with the paintings and their surroundings. World class.
Raed al-ghannam | Aug 18, 2018
-Needs much more work with English descriptions over the pieces. -The modern art part of it is not really sublime but you can't expect much from modern art anyways! -Helpful staff especially in the cloakroom. -Very interesting souvenirs in the gift shop but way too expensive!
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